WEST CHESTER — A new social norms campaign shaped by students in the West Chester Area School District has taken aim at teen drinking by advising teens to “stay classy and stay sober.”

Fueled by the West Chester Communities that Care organization, the Stay Classy, Stay Sober initiative is part of a campaign started by the organization’s Youth Leadership Council.

Asha Sahijwani, community coordinator for Communities That Care, said the campaign was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and designed by the students.

“We wanted the students to come up with the campaign,” Sahijwani said.

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According to the 2009 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, seven out of 10 students in West Chester schools do not consume alcohol. The campaign has used this to their advantage to educate students who may be pressured to drink.

“A lot of times people think it’s the norm and we wanted to show this in a positive was so we said seven out of 10 stay classy,” Sahijwani said.

According to the organization, the mission of the council is to “reduce substance abuse among youth, promote positive choices and strengthen families through the collaborative efforts of our drug-free communities.”

To kick off the program which began in August, organizers held a party at the West End Community Garden on Gay Street in the borough Sunday afternoon.

Earlier in the school year, organizers handed out about 900 shirts at the West Chester Bayard Rustin versus West Chester East football game and have given out more than 1,000 in all.

“They have become really popular which is exciting to see,” said Natalie Conners, vice-president of the Youth Leadership Council and a junior at Rustin. “Social norms campaigns are hard to do because making something different, normal, is a challenge.”

Connors, along with Youth Leadership Council President Kaitlyn Folkes, were the two students who brainstormed together in order to come up with the campaign.

Connors said part of the reason they added the stay classy is to remind students about the problems associated with excessive drinking that often lead to embarrassment.

Folkes, a senior who also leads Students Against Destructive Decisions at Henderson High School, said she has seen the campaign take off.

“it’s really cool because I’ve been a part of SADD for so long and we haven’t really seen anything like this, we have never had one message that has caught on.” Folkes said. “A lot of people that do drink, from what I can see, it is mostly just peer pressure and there is something that goes with it like that’s so cool an image,” Folkes said.

Now she said students are wearing the shirts to class and has more students than ever signed up to be a part of SADD.

More information on the West Chester Communities that care can be found at www.wcctc.org.

About the Author

Jeremy Gerrard is the Daily Local News' reporter covering the West Chester area and local school district. Jeremy is a Chester County native and a graduate of Auburn University. Reach the author at jgerrard@dailylocal.com
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